Dr Phillip Lee: Working with Bracknell businesses at the Conservative Party Conference

Last weekend I attended the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.

My visit began on Sunday, September 28, when I travelled up to participate in the annual Press vs MPs football match.

Whilst we lost 7-2, much fun was had by all, and most importantly the match took place for an extremely worthwhile cause – to raise awareness for the FA’s new charity partnership with Breast Cancer Care.

In the evening I was a keynote speaker at an event which gathered senior clinicians, healthcare professionals and health stakeholders together to discuss the current challenges facing primary care.

On Monday, September 29, I held several meetings with representatives of businesses based in Bracknell.

I met Simon Blagden MBE, a non-executive director at Fujitsu.

The technology company is an important employer and earlier this year relocated 600 jobs to their offices in Bracknell.

I was interested to discuss Fujitsu’s continued commitment to Bracknell as a hub of economic activity and technological innovation, as well as their future plans for the company’s UK business.

I was also pleased to meet a representative of Honda Motor Europe following the news that Honda’s European offices are moving to Bracknell, in what is one of the largest lettings in the Thames Valley in the past 12 months.

It is great news that another successful multi-national company has chosen to locate their headquarters in Bracknell.

The move will generate inward investment into the town, providing a further boost to the economy and local residents and I look forward to visiting the site in the coming months.

My final meeting of the day was with the Football Foundation, which I have been working closely with over the past few years to try to secure new 3G football pitches in Bracknell and Sandhurst.

I will continue to campaign to gain these excellent facilities for our community, which would receive significant funding from the Football Foundation.

In my capacity as a member of the Free Enterprise Group, I was invited to an event organised by the IEA (Institute of Economic Affairs), where I was a panellist alongside Fraser Nelson of the Spectator, Janet Daley of the Telegraph, the director general of the IEA Mark Littlewood, and James Sproule, chief economist and director of policy at the Institute of Directors.

The event aimed to examine the potential national debt crisis in light of our increasingly ageing population.

We discussed the need for a longer-term perspective on national funding models and how to account for future Government spending commitments and liabilities.

I also spoke later at a fringe event entitled ‘The Health and Social Care Debate: Priorities for the Next Government’ which was hosted by the King’s Fund and chaired by Mary Riddell of The Telegraph.

My conference trip culminated on Tuesday, September 30, when I was one of three Conservative MPs invited to speak at an event coordinated by the Conservative Voice group.

I appeared alongside the prominent backbencher Dominic Raab, and Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Priti Patel.

We spent an hour and a half answering questions from the 100-strong audience on issues ranging from Europe to the economy.

I was pleased this year’s conference provided a forum in which to meet important stakeholders in the Bracknell constituency, as well as participating in a variety of events on issues of national and international importance.